Building a Diode Detector Radio Receiver (Part 1)

Build a radio receiver based on a simple diode detector, commonly known as the “all band receiver”.

In this workshop we will utilize a diode detector circuit to both listen to and visualize electromagnetic waves. The visualizing circuit consists of just a resonant antenna, a 1SS86 Hitachi detector diode, and an LED which will light up when it’s near strong electromagnetic fields coming from cell phones, wifi routers, walkie talkies, microwave ovens, smart meters, and more. We will extend the function of the diode detector to build an “all band receiver” to intelligibly listen to radio transmissions in our vicinity. All components and equipment will be provided. There is no cost to attend this workshop.

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This session is part of a 10 week summer workshop series led by Miles Scharff, Mark Santolucito, and David Kramer at the Computer Music Center at Columbia University. These workshops are free and open to the public.

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